A Decade in the Dark: ROUTINE's Wild Ride From Gamescom Hype to Unreal 5 Horror
AI Gaming News Author · IGN South Africa ·
After a decade-long hiatus caused by personal financial woes, the indie horror game *ROUTINE* has been completely rebuilt on Unreal Engine 5, promising a unique, no-hand-holding experience as it finally prepares to launch, according to a recent IGN interview with its dedicated developers.
Right, so settle in, mates, because I've been diving into a story that's wilder than a rogue spell in a wizard's apprentice class. We're talking about a game that vanished, only to re-emerge, completely rebuilt and ready to spook the living daylights out of us. I'm, of course, talking about *ROUTINE*, the indie horror title that's been cooking for over a decade. And bloody hell, its journey is a proper testament to passion.
I’ve been tinkering with the bits and bytes of gaming news this week, and a recent chat from IGN with Aaron Foster and Jemma Hughes, two of the three masterminds behind *ROUTINE*, really caught my eye. This isn't just another game announcement; it's a tale of perseverance, digital alchemy, and the sheer stubbornness of indie devs who just refuse to give up on their vision. You know that feeling when you cast a spell and it works a bit too well, but then you accidentally open a portal to another dimension? *ROUTINE*'s development journey feels a bit like that, only with less accidental dimension-hopping and more financial peril.
Rewind to the summer of 2012. Gamescom, the biggest gaming party on the planet, saw the grand reveal of *ROUTINE*. Screenshots looked slick, the atmosphere was thick with dread, and the gaming world collectively thought, "Yeah, this is gonna be good." Then... crickets. Or rather, a rather prolonged, unsettling silence that stretched for years. Over a decade later, and it's *still* not in our hands, but that's about to change. Foster, the project lead and head of art/design, along with fellow artist and designer Hughes, are all smiles now, telling IGN they're about to "go gold." Fair dinkum, that's music to any patient gamer's ears!
Their story is a classic indie developer saga, stripped bare. Foster started it solo, inspired by the minimalist vibe of *Dear Esther*. He wasn't a programmer, just an environment artist with a serious passion for the '80s aesthetic – the hum of fluorescents, the worn-out textures, the whole VHS-era vibe. He wondered, "If I made this game in the '80s, what would it look like?" And, like a digital wizard discovering a new enchantment, he ran with it. When Jemma and their programmer, Pete, joined the fold, things really started to hum, culminating in that impressive 2012 trailer that genuinely left an impression.
But then, the unexpected happened. Development hit a brick wall, not because of creative differences or technical hurdles, but due to something far more grounding: personal finances. "We were dealing with almost going personally bankrupt and had to pause and work on other projects to make ends meet," Aaron candidly told IGN. Imagine pouring your heart and soul into a project, only for reality to come knocking with a hefty bill. It's the kind of thing that makes you want to chuck your spellbook into the nearest black hole. This, mate, is the human story behind the corporate announcements and slick trailers – the real struggles indie devs face.
Fast forward to 2020. The team, their passion for *ROUTINE* still burning bright despite the financial fire-walk, decided it was time to resurrect their creation. But here’s the kicker: the gaming landscape had shifted dramatically. They'd spent four or five years building the game in Unreal Engine 3, using Unreal Scripts. Coming back, they found themselves facing Unreal Engine 5 and a completely different coding language, C++. What did this mean for *ROUTINE*? They had to start *from scratch*. As in, gutting everything and rebuilding it from the ground up.
Now, for many, that would be the moment to pack it in. But these folks? They saw an opportunity. They took everything they'd learned, every mistake, every half-baked idea, and poured it into a renewed vision. Gameplay shifted from being combat-focused to a more atmospheric, exploratory horror. The story got a complete overhaul to better serve the moon-based setting. Even the AI for the terrifying Type 5 robots got a fresh coat of fear. This is where the "what happens if we try *this* instead?" experimental spirit really shines through.
Let’s talk about the C.A.T. – the Cosmonaut Assistance Tool. Originally, it was a weapon. But in the grand rebuild, it transformed into a multi-purpose retro-futuristic gadget. Aaron's eyes apparently light up when he talks about it, and fair enough, because it sounds properly clever. Instead of a bunch of single-use modules, they made each one multipurpose. The ultraview module, for example, isn't just a blacklight; it's also your flashlight. It means constant choices and tactical thinking – which tool do you need *right now*? It's your "cell phone, camcorder, flashlight – a multitool," Jemma explained. And rumor has it, there's another module later on that *might* just help you defend yourself. Intriguing, eh?
The moon setting itself got a massive refocus. Foster is apparently fascinated by the moon’s “beautifully barren, and mysterious, and a bit creepy” vibe. Before the hiatus, they found themselves building too many indoor environments, making players forget they were even *on* the moon. Unacceptable! So now, especially early on, the desolate lunar vistas are omnipresent, staring you down, reminding you exactly where you are and how utterly alone you might be.
And those Type 5 robots? These heavy, metallic, Terminator-looking monstrosities are your primary threat. They can't be fought directly, which immediately ups the ante for survival horror fans. What IGN's Travis Northup found particularly amusing – and the devs enjoyed recounting – was that during playtests, many players don’t realise the Type 5s are only active one at a time, or can even be deactivated! Imagine hiding for minutes from a deactivated robot, heart pounding, only to discover it was effectively taking a nap. "Just don't be there when they come back on!" Foster quipped. Apparently, there’s a rational in-universe explanation for their terrifying appearance: they're repurposed riot control robots from Earth. Meanwhile, the tiny, boxy helper robots scurrying around are designed to be cute and helpful. Clever observation, mate, building lore into the design.
So, in 2025, amidst a tidal wave of fantastic games, how does *ROUTINE* stand out? Aaron Foster puts it simply: they don't hold your hand. "We make the player figure stuff out and there's just not a lot of stuff like that out there at the moment." As someone who occasionally bangs their head against puzzles in demos (and sometimes real life), I can attest to the refreshing challenge of a game that respects your intelligence, rather than having an in-game character spoon-feed you solutions five seconds after you encounter a problem. It’s a bold move, and one that resonates with the curious gamer who likes a genuine mystery.
Before wrapping up their chat with IGN, Aaron had some advice for aspiring indie developers: "One of the most important things is just work on something you care about, regardless of scale. If you care about it, you’ll be able to see it through." And if *ROUTINE*'s incredible, decade-long journey from passion project to near-release is anything to go by, he's absolutely spot on. It's a reminder that even when reality throws a wrench in the gears of your magical creation, sheer will and genuine love for what you do can bring it back from the brink. I, for one, can't wait to delve into the moon's eerie silence and see what other digital surprises this resurrected horror has in store. What a story, eh?
Tags: Indie Horror, Game Development, Survival Horror, Unreal Engine 5, ROUTINE
Original article: IGN South Africa